The present invention relates to a deodorizing implement (or means) to be attached to the inside of an ostomy pouch.
In recent years technology for retaining function of anus has been developed in relation to operation for rectal cancer, while the number of ostomates, i.e., a patient(s) who has an ostomy (the artificial stoma or opening into the gastrointestinal canal), tends to increase resulting from increment of patients of rectal cancer due to the fact that the dietary contents of the Japanese have become Western-style.
Most ostomates use or affix on their bodies a bag-shaped pouch for collecting fecal matters and gases or flatus. Such pouches are, recently, superior in adhesiveness to human bodies and sealing efficiency for confining gases, leading to substantially no leak of odors. However, when the pouch gathers gases fully enough to become under high pressure at the inside, odors could leak and the pouch would be broken in an extreme case.
Some type of pouch hitherto proposed is provided with a vent opening, a vent tube, a vent chamber, or the like for venting or discharging gases. The vent opening type (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. Sho 60-24840 (1985) corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,145) attaches a deodorizing bag onto the outer side of the pouch with respect to the vent opening portion so as to deodorize the leaking gas. In this case, fecal matters are likely to clog the vent opening, resulting in insufficient venting of gases. The vent tube or vent chamber type (Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Application No. Sho 57-1288819 (1982), Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 6-277245 (1994) (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,264), Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 7-16251 (1995) and so on.) are expensive to produce due to their structures, thereby being not easily employed for daily use. Futhermore, Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Application No. Sho 55-54110 (1980) discloses an ostomy fitment wherein a deodorizing bag is attached at the inner side of the fitment with respect to the vent opening portion. The ostomy fitment in which fecal matter does not clog the vent opening does however have such defect as being expensive to produce due to the particular shape of the ostomy fitment.
Accordingly, ostomates generally use a bag-shaped pouch having a simple structure. When gases or flatus are collected fully in the pouch, users may run into the bath room, the restroom, the ladies"" or gentlemen""s room or the like and pierce a hole in the pouch, for example, with a needle, and after venting or discharing gases, close or cover the hole with a transparent adhesive tape. This signifies that ostomates need to always carry with them a needle or the like, always watch distention of the pouch and look for the restroom or the like, which is too heavy a mental burden for the ostomates.
An object of the present invention is to provide a deodorizing implement for an ostomy pouch which does neither depend upon the foregoing particular complicated deodorizing structures nor need inconvenient venting or discharging of gases with the needle and transparent adhesive tape, but is attachable (as it is) to a commercially available pouch and enables gases to be made odorless and always vented.
The present invention provides a deodorizing implement for an ostomy pouch which allows ostomates using a bag-shaped pouch having a simple structure to cause gases collected in the pouch to be always made odorless and vented without fears of gases breaking the pouch or leaking therefrom and necessity of venting or discharging gases from the pouch by piercing the same with a needle in the restroom or the like. Hence, ostomates do not need to use the complicated and expensive conventional pouch with the deodorizing means and are given peace and relief mentally and financially.